A Habit of Decomposing Right Before Your Very Eyes
by Kasteborous
Summary: He's the boy everyone loves to hate and hates to love. Old friends might just become new enemies, and vice versa. He's got his own agenda now, and it won't change for anyone else. {Somewhat Dark!Harry} -Not very cliche...- {H/Hr FRIENDSHIP}
1. Zero

**And The Habit of Decomposing Right Before Your Very Eyes**

**Prologue: **_-It's sleeping with roaches and taking best guesses._

A surge of power flowed through his body, his magic strengthening by the second. He cast a silencing charm, and a locking charm, guaranteeing no one would walk in and see their Golden Boy in the middle of such a taboo act. His wand sparked at the tip, but he paid no attention. He muttered foreign words consecutively, without a pause, and his eyes darkened to grey as a gust of wind increased in size, swirling around him.

The room he stood in, a small one, was void of desks or chairs, it had only one large window, which he'd charmed to hide the inside from outside view. His spells left burnt patches on the walls as he struggled to gain control. In seconds, he was practicing all manner of spells. A dummy appeared in front of him, and he sent a ray of blue at it, and it split in two.

It was replaced by another identical dummy, and he sent a green spell at it, which levitated the figure up and held it there. On a live subject, the person would be feeling incredible pain as they hovered there, and their screams would be left unheard by everyone.

The next hour passed by with many more dummies, spells and a couple of experimental charms. He was to start his second daily hour of training when a bang echoed from behind the wall. The magic around him stopped and everything stood still. He thought up an escape door and ran out of it as the main one started to emerge. As he quietly jogged down the stairs, his eyes faded back to their usual emerald colour, and his magic retreated back into him, hiding itself lest the headmaster realise what he was truly up to.

He arrived at the bottom floor, the dungeons, and reached a portrait. It was dark silver and a dull green snake curled around it. The middle held the black Slytherin crest. A muttered password later, he was sitting in one of the armchairs, awaiting the descent of his partner. He was sure his entrance had not gone unnoticed, and, while he wasn't unwanted or hated here, he didn't want to risk a confrontation with anyone, so he hoped the person he wanted to speak to came.

Sure enough, a figure clad in black robes, trimmed with green, and with a head of short platinum hair strutted down the steps of his dormitory. His lips gave way to a small smile, one people other than himself ever saw. The blonde sat in the armchair facing the teenager, and he leaned in front, his fingers laced together and waiting expectantly.

"They're getting closer. Soon enough, I'll be found out. And when that day comes, I'll need your assistance."

"How long?"

"Minimum, we have ten days. At maximum, we have three weeks. Either way, it'll be after in the last two weeks of June."

"How could I help you?"

"I will need a place to stay, for staying in my dorm will be dangerous for me. And I need a partner."

"You will have both, you are lucky the Slytherins aren't oblivious to the consequences of your practices. If they believed your public persona, it would be impossible for you to be accepted as one of us. We are, in general, loyal, to an extent. You are one of us now. Your red trimmed robes make little difference, for it is a mask, one we wear daily."

"Thank you. It was necessary for me to be sorted into the Lions', for, if I were a Snake, everything would have to have changed. The headmaster needed to be assured of his command and power over me, so this will hit him harder."

"We understand, I understand. Will you be staying here tonight?"

"No, until I am confronted about everything, I will continue to go through the motions, in the character everyone wants me to. Hopefully, by the time I am found out, it will be almost summer."

"How long will we have to hide this? I will have to continue mocking you, I assume, and insulting you."

"Don't worry, next September, everything will change. But, think, it will get harder once she finds out."

"She?"

"Yes, _she_. I know she knows I'm hiding something, yet she is keeping her suspicions quiet. It will be her who will find everything out, and then he will get it out of her. The confrontation will be explosive, if he does it."

"Of course, what else would it be? It's in his name, and his hair."

The dark-haired student chuckled, before checking the time and standing up. "Goodnight, I must retire before my absence is noticed too much." He held his hand out and the blonde shook it, a smirk on his face.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Potter."

**My prologue. First chapter will be posted immediately. The title came up to me while I was listening to PANIC! AT THE DISCO. Best band ever, by the way. So, the chapters are gonna be named with one lyric from the song 'BUILD GOD, THEN WE'LL TALK', because that's where the title came from. The chapter names may have nothing to do with the chapter, so bear that in mind. Also, the lyrics aren't in order.**

**That's all. Cheerio.**


	2. One

**And The Habit of Decomposing Right Before Your Very Eyes**

**Chapter 1: -**_Appealing only because they're just than unappealing._

The door of the Room of Requirement creaked open as a petite figure entered it. Somewhere nearby, she heard the noise of a door shutting, and she knew the student inside had managed to escape – again. They always did. Of course, if it was who she thought, it wasn't at all surprising.

"Damn it," Hermione Granger swore as she exited the room and walked back to the tower. "I'm always too late." She had her suspicions about them, and she wanted to prove her mind wrong, however right she knew they were. Of course, it hurt to think badly of her best friend, but she needed to know. She decided, at last, to go to the other person likely to notice any strange going-ons with the suspect. Even if she was reluctant, it was necessary.

"Ron!" she shouted once she passed the portrait hole, "have you noticed anything _strange _about Harry recently?" She pulled him to the side and whispered, ignoring the angry looks from his admirers.

"Er, no. He's the same as always," he retorted, trying to escape from her steel grasp. "Now let go, bloody hell, I was talking to someone." His eyes shone with confidence as he turned to speak with the girls clustered around him – he was riding onto his best friends fame without a problem.

"You know what? Fine. If you don't care about your best friend, it's your problem." She snapped, her patience ending. It had not been a productive day, and she was no closer to finding the truth – she needed to know things, and this unknown was killing her. She retrieved her books from her dorm and plopped down on her favourite armchair.

"Oi, careful!" an amused voice laughed from behind her. She looked and saw she'd sat on one of the Weasley twins, Fred, and blushed as she tried to jump off him. He wound his arms around her and kept her in place, stopping her escape. "So Granger, what's got your wand in a twist?"

She pondered whether to tell him; after all, she could trust him, and it wasn't as if Ron was any helpful. "First thing, where's Georgie?" she stalled, her cheeks still red at their positions.

"Oh, he's somewhere, probably off snogging poor Angie," he snickered, seemingly not at all uncomfortable with it, "so, what is it?"

"How do I say it?" she hesitated, finding the right words to phrase the question. "Haven't you noticed anything different about Harry? Like he's hiding something?"

"I have actually," he answered to her surprise, "honestly, last year he was acting the same – didn't you notice? All shifty and suspicious."

Hermione gaped, "What do you think it is? I've got ideas and theories but I'd love a second opinion."

"Think, what could've triggered this behaviour? What happened last year?"

"Well, Sirius escaped from Azkaban and he was 'out to kill Harry'", she quoted the last words, "and then Malfoy was a git all year, Buckbeak was sentenced to death and Dementors turned up left, right and centre."

"It may have had something to do with Sirius escaping," Fred offered as he eyed Ron, who was glaring at how Hermione was sitting on his lap.

"But he knows he's his godfather, so he doesn't need to worry about being killed by Sirius."

"But maybe he's gotten paranoid or sucked in to training or something so he's continued with it. And the Triwizard Tournament could've been a further reason."

"You could be right! How didn't I think of that?" she turned around and hugged Fred around his neck and then parted a bit when she thought of something, "when did you get so observant and like... this?"

"I take offense, Granger. I'll have you know I am a very observant and intelligent wizard, not to mention incredibly handsome," he grinned at her, and he caught, from the corner of his eye, the lanky redhead standing and walking over to them. "Something angry this way comes," he warned.

Ron stood a few steps away, and he cleared his throat. "Hermione, Fred; what the hell are you doing?"

"Whatever do you mean, Ronald?" Hermione asked, still angry at his carelessness about their best friend. "I am just discussing something with Fred, because you are unavailable."

"Fred," Ron turned to his brother, "you know, so why are you acting like that?"

"Ronnie, your chance has long gone," he glanced at Hermione, who still looked angry, and a little hurt, "okay, maybe not so much. But don't act like a git."

"I'm not act-" Ron started, but was interrupted by someone's voice shouting over his.

"Hey Freddie! Are you coming, or what?" Shouted Lee Jordan from the portrait hole, behind him was George. Angelina Johnson was walking over to her friends, Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet.

"Oh, yeah, one minute!" he shouted back, before turning to the witch, ignoring his brother, "sorry 'Mione, gotta go. See you later, we still need to talk about..." he trailed off and blushed a bit, for a reason unknown by him. He let Hermione get off him before he got up, and he started walking away.

"Fred," she called quietly, gaining his attention. He turned and saw how she suddenly kissed him on the cheek, making him blush – again. "See you." Hermione smiled brightly, showing off her recently shrunken teeth. At that moment, Fred lost his train of thought for a split second, before regaining it, and beaming at her.

...

"Did you hear, Harry?" Ron Weasley questioned his best friend during lunch the next week. "About Hermione and Fred?"

"What happened now, Ron?" Harry asked, wondering what they'd done now. All week it'd been the same 'Fred and Hermione this' or 'Fred and Hermione that'. Jealousy was a colour seen too often on the ginger.

"They spent all day yesterday together, 'cause George was with Angelina." Ron muttered as he stabbed his potato, "I bet they're going out." He shoved it in his mouth and ate it angrily.

"Who's going out with whom?" Hermione interrupted as she arrived at the Gryffindor table, Fred in tow. "Don't tell me it's Lavender and Dean; I've known that since Wednesday."

"No, it's someone else," he tried to avoid the subject with a vague answer, which failed. Harry, in a bout of irritation with the ginger, decided to tell the pair in front who Ron was referring to; "He means you two. You're always together, so he assumed so."

"Ronald! We're not going out! We're just dealing with something; I asked for his help and opinion." Hermione snapped at him, blushing slightly and keeping hold of the sixth year's hand. Fred was also blushing, and Harry thought that they should go out already. They may not be very close, but soon enough they will be.

"Well, as much as I adore watching Ron get all flustered and angry, I've got to go," he declared as he stood from the table and left the Great Hall. He saw from the corner of his eye as Draco Malfoy stood from his Durmstrang-Slytherin infested table and follow behind him nonchalantly.

Once they were far away enough, Draco pulled him to the side. "Harry, is she any closer to finding it out? Remember a week has passed already, and we still aren't completely ready."

"I don't think so, Draco. I think she's getting help from Fred Weasley; understandable really. They're both very intelligent. If they're making progress, we'll have four days, maybe five. How much more do we need to be ready?"

"Not much, we just need to find a way to hide you from my parents' view as well as from other Death Eaters'. Your summer will be clear then. I hate to think that you'll spend two weeks with _them_, though."

"I know, it's horrible. But those two weeks will pass by quickly. What about the other Slytherins'; will they not inform their parents of our friendship and secrecy?"

"I've said it before; we are loyal to an extent. However, we do not place our trust on our parents as much as other houses believe. They are not infallible."

"Excellent, I'd judge we will be ready by the Third Task, no? It is this Saturday, we have little time."

"No worries, I am not at all incompetent."

"I kno-"Harry cut off as he heard footsteps from afar, heading towards them. "Quick, pretend to threaten me or something, before we're caught!"

As the person neared, Draco snarled at Harry; "Potter! How dare you insult my mother? You-"

"Malfoy; let Harry go!" Ron stood there with his wand pointed at the blonde, Hermione and Fred much more behind them, both with calculating looks on their faces. The pair turned and walked away, muttering quickly and quietly.

"They're getting very close," Harry muttered to Draco as he 'hastily' pulled himself from the Slytherins grasp. "I know," he answered, pretending it was a threat.

"Come on Ron, we'll leave the ferret to lick his wounds."

"Harry, what did he say to you?" Ron asked once they were back in the Common Room. "Did he threaten you?"

"What, no. It was the usual; jibes at my dead parents and about you and Hermione," he hid a smirk, "the usual."

"Say, Harry, what are Hermione and Fred on about? They're always muttering and I've heard your name a lot. And, last week, Hermione asked me if I noticed you were acting weirdly." Ron inquired naively, oblivious to the fact that he was telling Harry what he needed to know. He simply believed Harry was helping them in something, in typical Ron fashion, he didn't know.

"No idea, maybe it's about the Triwizard Tournament – after all, it's this Saturday."

"Oh, right. I forgot."

"Great, Ron, just great. Anyways, have you done your Charms essay?"

"Really, Harry, really? I've been trying to get Hermione to do it, but she's always with Fred," he sulked childishly.

"Maybe you should start growing up and do your own work then," Harry snapped and left a shocked Ron behind.

...

"Draco," Harry greeted when he met the blonde near the Slytherin common room.

"Harry, any news?"

"Good or bad? 'Cause I've got both."

"I'll have bad first, then good," Draco told the portrait the password, and the pair entered the cold feeling room. "We'll go up to my dorm, we'll have some privacy."

"The bad news is that Fred and Hermione are well on their way to finding me out. I'm thinking I could be practicing in the R.O.R. and then let them catch me with the dark magic still in motion?"

"I don't know, it's a risky move. What if the jealous Weaselbee follows them – he could potentially make it or break it."

"It's a risk we have to take, we can't delay the inevitable."

"You're right, but it doesn't mean I like it at all." Draco muttered, "it could end badly, yet it's a necessity."

"Neither do I, but, yes, it's necessary." Harry trailed off and they sat in a comfortable silence until he remembered something; "how's Parkinson?"

"Shut up! You know how it is. I like her and all, but she's my friend. It's like kissing my brother or sister – if I had one." Draco scowled at the thought of Pansy Parkinson, before changing back the topic, "what's the good news?"

"Dumbledore is still oblivious, and I've come up with a plan for the Triwizard Tournament. It's a maze, and no one will see what's going on inside. The Cup is in the centre; whoever gets there first, wins."

"What's the plan?"

"Seeing as my magic is too attuned to the dark side of it, it's unlikely I will last long without outing my secret. Luckily, the winning of the Tournament holds no importance to me, so I will just hide and let myself get injured to be 'unable' to finish."

"Are you sure you don't want to win?"

"Completely, it's pointless. I don't want recognition for that, and I have no need for the prize money. I will be fine with third place or something like that."

"Malfoy, Professor Snape is here, and he wants to discuss something with you!" Blaise Zabini, another fourth year, called up.

"Remember, you have no need to hide. Most of our year know or suspect you are one of us, so do some fifth and sixth years. The third and below don't matter. Snape, however, is oblivious, so just ignore him."

"Yes, _Professor_, I know that," Harry retorted sarcastically as they descended the stairs. "I can remember that, thank you very much."

"Malfoy, Zabini, Potter; what is the meaning of this?" Professor Snape snipped once he saw the Gryffindor. "Why is _he _here?"

"Oh, nothing Professor, you'll see in a few days." Draco replied in a fake cheerful voice.

"You can't deny you missed me, Snape, I am your favourite Gryffindor!" Harry imitated the blondes voice, smirking at Snape's irritation.

"Potter, out. You are nothing of the sort."

"Excuse me Professor, but I was under the belief that, if permitted by the students of that house, a student from another house was allowed to stay in their common room. And Potter here _was _allowed."

"Oh was he? And what do your Lions think of that?"

"Think of what Professor? Fraternizing with the enemy – last time I checked, the enemy isn't each other, but a larger power than mere schoolchildren."

Snape kept silent, glaring at the fourteen year old with a sharp stare. He turned and exited the room, his black robes billowing importantly behind him.

...

It was nine in the evening again, and Harry returned to the Room of Requirement for his thrice-a-week training session. He made sure to keep the door unlocked and started immediately on the magic aspect of his training. The Third Task had gone through the previous day, and Harry had kept true to his word, disappointing his fellow Gryffindors. Dumbledore was most disappointed, as he'd expected his puppet to try and be heroic and brave.

The dummies fell hard and fast, tossed to the side in different conditions. They were slightly realistic, so he could see what his spells did to bleeding beings. As of now, he didn't want to use other people as test subjects, but the day would come soon enough. He was content with his charmed dummies for moment, of course.

An hour in and still no interruption; only when he used a particularly nasty slashing charm did he hear an echo of a gasp. He looked at the dummy, and saw how realistic it looked when slashed horrendously.

"Harry," a voice started, its owner emerging from the shadows, "what are you doing?"

"Oh, don't mind me, Hermione. I'm just practicing my magic," he smirked.

"You are practising this magic? Why?"

"Hermione, I could explain why and I could guarantee you'd understand me, but I can't."

"Why?"

"Because you'll run off to Dumbledore, confiding everything in him – the ultimate grandfather figure."

Another figure, Fred Weasley, emerged from the shadows. "That's a lie."

"What?" Harry asked, shocked. Did he hear that right?

"Dumbledore is no more trustworthy than Lord Voldemort," Fred flinched, "himself. I've known that for a while already."

Hermione, who didn't seem too surprised, nodded, "he hasn't been honest with you – as you know. It's a set up. I doubt I'll run off to the man who's manipulated many lives for his own good."

"You really want to know the truth?"

Hermione hesitated, still doubtful, so Fred answered in affirmative on behalf of the both of them. Both were reluctant, but eager to understand. It was a start, Harry thought, maybe they'll support me.

"Meet me in Kings Cross Station the third of July at noon. I'll be there with someone, and you'll know my reasoning."

"Two weeks, I can wait that."

"Good. Don't be late," he was going to continue, but a familiar voice stopped him. "Well, well, well; what have we here? A dark Harry Potter, and a lovey-dovey Fred and Hermione: what a surprise."

"Ronald."

"Bravo, who else could it have been? I was following these two," he pointed to the pair to the side, "and I found you practicing dark magic, who would've guessed?"

"Ronald, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying, I expected it, subconsciously. Harry Potter, Golden Boy, who better to turn bad? The Prophet will have a field day, not to mention Dumbledore."

"I don't have time for this," Harry snapped, trying to push by Ron, who blocked him and pushed him to the floor.

"Shut up, filthy traitor, and listen. You will suffer for your betrayal."

"What, Ron, did I do that harmed you?"

"Ginny! She was to marry you; she can't very well do that if you're... like _this_."

"Ginny? You're joking!" Harry stood and barged past him, "whatever the circumstances, that would've never happened, don't kid yourself!"

As the two past best friends fought, the other two present watched with raised eyebrows as Ron was knocked out cold before exiting the room. "Wow, what drama!"

"Freddie, I agree," Hermione grinned, "this is too much."

...

"Draco! C'mere! I've got news for you!" Harry called up the dormitory stairs, knowing the blonde will hear him perfectly.

"Coming," Draco returned, "jeez, calm down." He came down the stairs, and paused at seeing Harry's happy face. "What is it?"

Harry beckoned him closer and started whispering rapidly, "well, as planned, I let Fred and Hermione catch me in the act, and they agreed to meet me in Kings Cross the third of July, at noon – you're coming with me, by the way. I made this appointment, because they said something very surprising. It seems they don't trust Dumbledore either, which could end up beneficial for us. Well, Ron interrupted and confronted me. I was _meant _to marry Ginny – he says. Yeah, right, it was never going to happen. Well, I'd judge that the news of my practices will be known to everyone – including the teachers – by breakfast."

"Really? That's interesting; their intelligence and creativity will prove useful is they wanted to join us. I wonder what the headmaster will think," Draco smirked as he backed up and sat on the sofa. "And Snape will probably flip."

"Breakfast will be a very interesting affair – luckily tomorrow is Sunday. I won't be gaped at in classes, I can hide." Harry copied him without a pause in his wording.

"_We_ can hide. We need to see what we'll do this summer."

"Oh yeah, we'll speak about it tomorrow. Right now, I'm exhausted, but I'm not sure if Ronald spread the news yet. He probably has, so how will I get my stuff?"

"No problem, you can call Dobby, right?"

"I'd forgotten," Harry said, "Dobby!"

"Yes, master Harry!" The little elf appeared with a loud crack,

"Can you bring my stuff and trunk over here-"

"No, actually, Dobby," Draco hesitantly interrupted, "take it all to my dorm. We've got an empty bed; it's only Blaise, Nott and me at the moment. Crabbe and Goyle are rooming with two other fourth years."

Dobby disappeared with another crack, and, seconds later, an identical crack is heard upstairs, indicating the deposit of Harry's items upstairs. A fourth crack, and Dobby stood in front of them once again, a proud grin as he declared his job done in secrecy. After being thanked with socks, he returned to the kitchens with a last crack.

"That's was weird." Draco remarked, not used to seeing the elf he mistreated years ago acting so happy and joyous.

"Oh really?" Harry drawled, "I hadn't noticed." His sarcastic response was met with a green cushion to his face as Draco tossed it at him and jumped off the sofa, speeding off up the stairs once again. "Draco Abraxas Malfoy Black! Oh, that's a mouthful," Harry reached the fourth year dorm, where Draco was scowling at the unnecessary use of so many names.

"Oh, like Harry James Potter Evans is nothing at all."

The portrait door creaked open, stopping Harry's witty retort, and it gave way to introduce the Slytherin head of house, accompanied by the headmaster himself. His blue eyes lacked the knowing twinkle, and his expression said it all: disbelief and some anger.

"Crap."

**First chapter, my little pranksters. I hope you enjoy it. It came up to me in a flash of inspiration, although, I admit, I had originally thought of making Hermione all Dumble-worshipping, and Harry practising Dark Arts in secret until Draco caught him. But I decided to make them partners in crime. **

**The whole Fred-Hermione thing is somewhat relevant. We need someone on the inside, someone to tell us the OoTP's thoughts about Harry. They aren't dark, like Harry, but they're not oblivious. And yes, I will make Fred become slightly more independent, as George won't be as doubtful of the headmaster. And ma-a-a-aybe their interaction isn't what you'd expect, but the twins are flirts and, let's say they'd spoken a lot with Hermione the previous summer at the world cup, yeah?**

**I hope the Harry/Draco interaction is good enough, as I've never written the two in either friendship or romance. And, no worries, as Harry's reasoning for the extracurricular practising will come to light in the next chapter or the one after. There will be FLASHBACKS. **


	3. Two

**And The Habit of Decomposing Right Before Your Very Eyes**

**Chapter 2; **_-What a wonderful caricature of intimacy. _

The headmaster stood there in his pale grey robes – a somewhat modest and dull design in comparison to previous days – frozen in shock. Seeing his prized weapon, if you will, mingling with the very people he swore to set him against was something unexpected. When his faithful Severus came to him with this ludicrous statement, Albus was doubtful; _Harry Potter _being civil with the Slytherins? It was preposterous. However, he relented to his fellow colleague's requests of seeing the proof, and ventured down to the green-and-silver common room to find _this_.

And, even then, he was laughing and joking around with the Malfoy heir, of all people. His father had once been Lord Voldemort's right hand, until a short while ago. Even then, with his decent in ranks, he was still influential. If there were two things that got you far in this world, it was money and pure blood.

After the initial shock of witnessing the pair of once-rivals in close proximity without endangering anyone around them, he constructed a plan in his mind to slowly knock at the foundation of their relationship. If he could destroy it using the reason it started, he could alienate the Gryffindor in question from Slytherin influence – he wasn't too late, not yet.

...

Ron Weasley was, again, sitting in the Great Hall alone. It was beginning to become a habit to him, and he wondered exactly how long this had been going on. Had he been sitting on his lonesome for much longer than he'd thought? After all, he was always too preoccupied with his food to worry about his surroundings too much. Thinking back, he counted a few days ago as the last time he sat with his two best friends, so he shook his worries off and reached for his fork. His hand, however, hovered over the cutlery as he heard an enchanting laugh from somewhere to his left.

A few seats away, he saw Hermione and Fred, together – again. He supposed it wasn't meant to be too shocking, as it had happened all the time these days, but he felt bitter at the fact that she was sitting with his brother, and not him and Harry. They were always laughing and whispering; he didn't like it. Looking down, he frowned as he remembered his other friend.

And Harry, where was he all the time? He hadn't seen his best friend in so long. When was the last time they'd sat playing wizards' chess in the common room? Now that he wasn't hanging around Ron, he noticed how he had no one else to talk to. Before he had a bunch of people who wanted to talk to _him_! It was about his best mate, but they came to him. He knew his temper and jealousy wasn't endearing at all, but he couldn't have driven the raven haired boy because of that, right?

Feeling sick, he stood and walked away from the table, leaving the Great Hall, and many students wide eyed. They couldn't believe their eyes with what they were seeing – it seemed surreal. Behind him, Ron had left a full plate. He hadn't touched a crumb, a bite, of the food. For once, the Gryffindors didn't know whether to think something was incredibly wrong with the food or to grin and laugh at the lack of seeing a ravenous Ron eat. One student, however, was glaring at the spot the ginger had been sitting on, _how did he escape it?_

...

"You forgot, didn't you?" A light voice echoed in the empty hallway, startling Ron. "You forgot what you said, and what you saw. You remembered, and then; you forgot."

"What? I didn't- What?" Ron responded, looking at the fairy-like girl in front of him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You feel sick, and a just a bit lightheaded, and you can't eat like you always do. And your head hurts, doesn't it?"

"Who are you?" He demanded, ignoring the truth in her wise words.

"Luna Lovegood," she whispered to him as she walked away. Once she had disappeared from view, he leant his elbows on his knees and hid his face in his hands, trying to ward away the intense nausea he felt. "What did I forget?"

...

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Well, I hardly thought it was important, Albus. After all, the boy is healthy and well."

The aged wizard in front of her stared her down, yet none of the two dared to look away. "Minerva, you are telling me Harry Potter hasn't slept in his dorm for weeks?"

The Scottish woman sighed, and repeated her words, "Yes, yes I am. But what does this matter? He is most likely staying in the Room of Requirements. He is eating, and he is sleeping; he needs to rest after such a taxing year. If avoiding our _enthusiastic _Gryffindors is the way to do it, so be it!"

"No, he has to stay in his dorm. It isn't safe to wander the castle or to visit the Slytherins!" he retorted in a small fit of anger, letting slip information he never meant to release.

"Albus! What do you mean 'visit the Slytherins', surely Potter wouldn't do that? There is a mutual hate between the two houses, not to mention between Malfoy and Potter! And what of the Weasley – wouldn't he have stopped him?"

"Minerva," Dumbledore sighed as McGonagall started questioning him, "I am confident that it had been a misunderstanding, a joke, if you will. It must've been disappointing when he failed to win the Tournament after all, many students would be angry." He patronised her with false answers until she left the office an hour later, believing it all to be alright.

As soon as the Deputy Headmistress left the office, Dumbledore turned as faced his phoenix, "Fawkes, I need you to contact _Lucius Malfoy_. Have him meet me at on the 3rd of July, at noon." The fire bird nodded elegantly and disappeared in a flash of fire.

...

"We're going to go?" Fred asked as they sat down to eat at the long table.

"Yes! Of course we are! We have to go!" Hermione told him sternly as they sat in the Great Hall, whispering secretively.

"Well, we don't _have _to," he muttered, looking weirdly at the Slytherin table.

"Fred," the brunette warned, "we're going. We're going to have to know his side of the story, and his reasoning if we're going to decided what to do next."

Fred nodded, "you're right, but what if, hypothetically, I support his opinion, while you don't," he worried as she looked up at him with a questioning glance.

"We won't. We won't, Fred. I just know it."

"But if-"

"If we do, we'll figure it out. Because, for now, I've only got you."

Fred suddenly laughed, startling her, "it's ironic. Here I am worrying over this, and you're trying to calm me down." Hermione laughed along with him, although neither could deny that they didn't want to be separated.

...

"Fred," George greeted as he bumped into his twin, "what are you up to?"

"Whatever do you mean? Why, our dear Hermione and I are simply discussing our charms work." Fred exaggerated as he attempted to redirect his twin's suspicions.

"I know you, and I know her."

"What has that got to do with anything?"

"More than you think, because he isn't happy," he informed Fred menacingly, stepping one step towards him.

"Who, Ron? I don't care, and you know perfectly why." Fred retorted, making George laugh some. "Laugh all you want, I'm out of here."

George blocked his way with his arm, "you know who I mean."

"Yes, I do, and I'm sick of it. So this is my way of rebelling." Fred smirked, "if he asks; I'll see him in hell." And with that, he barged past the other ginger, missing the warped look on his face between anger and sadness as he whispered to himself and crumbled to the floor, like a puppet would when its strings are cut.

"I can't."

...

Draco Malfoy stood in the Astronomy Tower looking out to the dark forest when a piece of crumpled parchment skidded by his feet. Curious, he picked it up and scanned it quickly, his face passive and indifferent.

_Sister__, _

_I'm sorry I can't see you very often, so I can't tell you this personally. But, I realise, now it the time to tell you this. Not later and not next year – now. I could tell you next month, when you come back home and I visit, but I can't. _

_You may not believe me, you may laugh, but it's true. As much as it pains me to say this, ask Severus Snape, and he'll confirm it._

_Mother didn't want to tell you, so you can't say you know. _

_They say you have the traditional hair, and our mum's brown eyes. You were born with black eyes and a tuft of-_

The rest of the letter was ripped off, in a fit of anger, Draco guessed. He didn't know who it was by or to – why would anyone leave their letter here. Especially one like this, it had the potential to break someone.

...

It was the 30th of June, and most students had already packed up almost everything, save for a couple of books or a pair of shoes. They were all sat in the Great Hall, in their respective tables, eating their last feast of the year – until September 1st, of course. Once he deemed it time, Albus Dumbledore stood and made a final speech as the plates and the food disappeared for the last time. "This year has been an important one. We have played host to our friends from Bulgaria and France, and we have learnt many, many new things. We have broken rules and gotten detentions, and we have studied hard and survived one more year of school. Join me as we clap for our own Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory, for their valiant efforts this year. Clap for Viktor Krum of Durmstrang, a strong and feared competitor. And, lastly, stand and clap for Beauxbatons, school of the Triwizard Tournament winning champion, Fleur Delacour." Everyone clapped loud for the blonde as the two guest schools filed out of the Great Hall. After being dismissed by the Headmaster, the students of Hogwarts all but ran out in their haste to return to their dorms and finish their packing quickly. No one noticed how Harry Potter followed the Slytherins rather than the Gryffindors to their common room.

**Another chapter come and gone... Shorter, as the other one was around 3000 words. Well, this chapter is not filler per se, as, I think, it has a few important things. It's more like not-so-random conversations all in four days after the last chapter. It will be at random points, but it doesn't matter which day or which time, but it's in chronological order. **

**George and Fred won't be the joined-at-the-hip twins they were, and I'll explain it when it comes up. And I may have made them a bit hostile before.**

**Plus, as much as I enjoy laughing with the RonBashing or DumblesBashing, I won't do it (well, for Albus, maybe a little at times). And, there's probably gonna be some slash in there somewhere (not necessarily with the main characters though). **

**Also, I think this is going a bit fast, and it may be confusing – what with the sudden Fred/Hermione friendship as well as the lonely-Ron thing, but I really want to get this year over with and start with their summer, as I've got an idea for it. And whyever can't Ron remember? **

**A cookie to anyone who sees the vague Doctor Who reference near the beginning/middle. **

**AND, I know, in the last chapter, Harry told Hermione and Fred to meet the 3****rd**** of July – 'in two weeks' – but I miscounted. The two weeks would've been (from the 24****th****) on the 8****th****. Sorry for that. School will end (in this story) on the 30****th****.**

**-Insane Worm: **Yes, I love Dark!Harry, AND Fred/Hermione and Draco/Harry AND P!ATD. Wicked. Hmm, I'll marry you, but I'm not sharing anything Harry Potter or Panic! At The Disco related – it's all mine! xD Either way, I will update as regularly as I can, in ALL my stories, cause it's SUMMER! And the Harry/Draco relationship is still undecided, I'll leave it up to how the story progresses, or maybe the reviewers' opinions. Harry/Luna is cute, so I would consider it; again, it's undecided. I'm fairly certain, however, that Fred/Hermione will probably end up as more than friendship – they _will _have difficulties, a few only. Hehehe. I read your stories, and saw that you speak Spanish: _En Septiembre, que curso empezaras?_

**-Allyieh: **As I've commented above, it may or may not. If they did end up together, it would be at the very last chapters, and subtle hints would be introduced at random points. Thanks for reading anyways!

**-tonygestaple: **Don't worry, because, either way, it'll be far off in the story, as it's all about Harry, not his romantic relationships (but the fremione relationship will be present a lot, because it will (maybe) tie in with the whole Harry thing). I can almost guarantee any possible Draco/Harry will not be sudden – I've read a few fics in which it just appears, like _bam!_ I'll try and be more subtle, if I do do it. Just bear with me people!


	4. Three

**And The Habit of Decomposing Right Before Your Very Eyes**

**[**_**WARNING: **__**I have edited the previous chapter, after some confusion on my part. Return and read it before reading this chapter, as the beginning will confuse you. Also, read the note at the bottom; first couple of paragraphs are necessary.] **_

**Chapter 3;**_-There was a terrible CRASH!_

_Albus,_

_About our meeting tomorrow, at Kings Cross Station at 1300 hours; I regret to inform you I shan't be able to make it at that time and date. Would it be possible to reschedule for the day after, at 1500 hours?_

_Lucius Malfoy_

It was late, usually night would have fallen at this time in winter, but it was barely dusk, or so the sky said. A rainbow of colours, with a yellow from the sun merging into a pale pink and, furthermore, a deep blue, decorated the star laden sky.

It was another warm night at the Burrow, where Ginny sat outside looking at the setting sun. This past year had been so different. Harry Potter had won the Triwizard Tournament – and he was only a year older than her!

It was amazing how great a wizard he- Harry was. She physically hit herself for almost saying 'my Harry'. Not anymore – NOT ANYMORE. She wanted to forget him, even if for a while. She wanted to experience liking other boys; older, younger, the same age – she didn't care. She just wanted to think about Harry Potter without blushing like the thirteen year old she was.

"Ginny! It's time for dinner!" Her mother called from the back door, where she held a glass of water. When Ginny arrived by her, her mind trying to relate Harry Potter with one of her brothers, Percy or Ron, Molly Weasley gave her the glass, "it's so hot out here, how long have you been sitting there?"

"Quite a while really, Mum," she smiled as she gulped the water down, "thanks." She sat at the table in the large kitchen, in front of a window facing the spot she'd sat on minutes earlier. _What was I thinking about? Oh yeah, Harry Potter, I wish he saw me as me and not Ron's younger, naive sister._

"I don't understand why you can't be more like your father. Now he was a brave man; not once did he cower in front of a Death Eater in battle, never mind a_ Professor_! He didn't hesitate, and his Defence work was impeccable! Your mother, Alice, she was a real duellist; I was, and am, so proud of her. Her potions were used a lot in conjunction with Severus Snape's – your _Professor_." Lady Longbottom lectured to her under confident grandson, singing the praises of others while belittling him. "And _Harry Potter_, he's YOUR age and look what he's done! Beat Voldemort Merlin knows how many times and he's so young and brave! Why aren't you like him?"

Neville Longbottom knew Harry Potter, thus, he knew Harry wasn't as all knowing and powerful as everyone thought – although he was greatly skilled in DADA, and much too modest. "Maybe because I'm NOT HIM!" He answered back for the first time in his fourteen years, "I'm NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM, not anyone else! I am brilliant at Herbology and love plants – I'm not _the saviour of the broken, the beaten and the damned_! I cower in Potions classroom, and Snape scares me – YES! But I'm not useless, and I'm not gonna continue trying to be braver. I'm going to be who I am, and I won't listen to YOU any longer. Merlin forbid I be Harry Potter, because, he's a friend, but his life sucks. He isn't brave or courageous in fighting Voldemort – he is trying to SURVIVE. Because he only wants to live with his friends, nothing else."

With that out of character speech, the roles were reversed as Neville Longbottom walked away from his Grandmother, having lectured her speechless. He was a Gryffindor after all.

In the western counties of England, a disembodied spirit lay in wait, served by an intimidated and treacherous servant, biding his time impatiently until it was time to regain his body back. His wand sat beside him, yet he was unable to wield it and curse his servant. He was so angry.

But, time would come, and he would regain strength and attack harder than ever before.

Sirius Black was not a happy puppy. Having woken up the morning of the first of July disoriented and with random blocks of memory missing, he was loathe to discover he was incarcerated in his childhood home of Grimmauld Place. It was a dreary and distasteful house, with more dust than oxygen, and a very unpleasant house elf.

As he walked down stairs he'd gone down hundreds of times in his youth, he stopped at the modifications to the front door. He felt it in the air, and it felt different. He had lived for sixteen years in the same house, and he was entirely sure the wards would've never been changed at all by neither of his parents – both paranoid maniacs who had trouble not openly sympathising with the one and current Dark Lord.

But the new wards felt lighter, and he felt they just covered the old ones, instead of replacing them. He wondered who'd changed them until he was hit with a slice of pain in his palm. In horror, he watched as various palm length cuts were made on his palm one after the other. He counted thirty four when it stopped, and his hand was stinging with the after pain of the slices.

After getting his hand healed – using his father's old (and well hidden) wand – he realised where he recognised those types of cuts from, that cut completely across the palm. They were used for warding magic, specific ones. In a house like 12 Grimmauld Place, only the Lord Black could change the wards, meaning someone hypnotised him. Imperius-ed felt like a harsh term, but he feared it was the truth.

Immediately, his mind thought of Severus Snape. It was natural, what with all the animosity between the pair of them. But, as much as he loathed the man, he knew he had nothing to gain from trapping Sirius in his old house, only the satisfaction of being able to exit it while he couldn't. But, he desisted, as Snape wasn't so petty as to go through all that trouble for bragging rights when he had many other things to brag about to the animagus.

So, regrettably, he pondered the possibility of the grand Headmaster having part in this. He wanted to deny it, but it seemed logical. He was the only one with enough power to do this, as Voldemort wasn't aware of his whereabouts – not that it mattered to the Dark Lord – and Harry, his nephew, had yet to realise how strong he truly was.

Defeated, he sat down on the bottom step of the stairs and considered Dumbledore's motives.

"NO!"

"Come on, Harry! Please?"

Harry shook his head stubbornly, "I won't. I refuse."

"Why?"

"Because, Sirius, I won't just start a fight so Dumbledore will come to Headquarters."

Sirius pouted childishly, "it's a great idea! I can't stay trapped here!"

Harry sighed impatiently, "yes, I agree, but we have to be Sly- yes - Slytherin about it. We need him to think you don't suspect anything. Listen, I've got an idea."

His curiosity sparked by his godson's mischievous whisper, he leant in and laughed at his plan. "That's gold, he'll hate it. Yeah, so will the others, but it'll be great. Where can I get those earplugs?"

"Oh, I'll get 'em for you. Next Friday, right?" At his godfather's nod, he grinned, "Dumbledore's gonna have a heck of a headache."

They laughed for a couple of minutes, and Remus walked in on them. With a sip of his tea and a long suffering sigh, he walked out again and went to the kitchen to prepare another cup of tea for Sirius.

"So," the animagus spoke, "about that fight..."

"No!"

"Dammit. Pretty please?"

"No..."

"Pretty please with a pink cherry on top?"

"No."

"Pretty please with a pink cherry on top of the flying purple unicorns nose?"

"Padfoot?" Remus walked in with a bewildered expression. "What the hell are you saying?"

The rattle of the mailbox reached Dr Granger's ears, and she called her daughter. "Hermione, could you go get the mail?"

With a slightly glum air about her, she sped down the stairs and grabbed the pair of letters on the ground by the door.

"It's just bills, mum." She passed them to her eating mother, who grabbed the letter opener. "What time is it?"

With a grin, she checked her watch, "it's still only eight thirty. Wait until nine, at least, he'll be here." She got distracted as her husband came to steal a slice of bread, "get your own breakfast," and saw Hermione walk up the stairs slowly.

"Jane, we need to spend less time at the office this summer, the bills are lower during the year as Hermione's away, we can afford it." He told her as he made his own breakfast.

Hermione opened her door, hearing her parents' conversation faintly, happy at the prospect of seeing them more during the summer.

"Nice room, Granger." A voice spoke from her bed, making her jump in fright.

"Fred! You idiot, you scared me!" She went over him and hit his arm, before hugging him. "How did you get here?"

The redhead looked down at her, a couple of inches taller than her, "I walked." He told her with a straight face.

"But it's so far, aren't you tired? Why didn't you appa-?" She stopped at seeing his grin, "you had me worried. I thought you did!"

Fred laughed, "anyways, are you ready?"

"I didn't expect you for another half hour, but I'm ready." She told him, "but I'm going to tell my parents we're going."

She almost skipped down the stairs happily but refrained from doing so. "Mum, dad! I'm going, we'll be back this afternoon."

"Going? But..." Paul Granger started to object, before he saw the taller redhead behind his daughter. "Fred Weasley?" he asked.

"Err, yes, sir." He added nervously, "good morning Dr Granger," he said this to Jane, who smiled at him.

"Dad," Hermione warned, "stop. Well, we've got to go, I'll come back at around..." She looked at Fred. "Around four," they said at the same time.

"But not a minute later, alright?" Paul notified the retreating pair.

"Sure dad!" "Sure, doc!" Hermione and Fred said at the time, Fred earning a good natured scowl from Hermione as she shut and locked the front door. "Did you-""-have to? Yes."

"So how are we getting there?" She asked as they walked along the street.

"Well, we have three options; the Knight Bus," they discarded that option immediately, "public transport, or apparition." He counted to her with his free hand – his other was holding his companion's hand.

"Well, we'll try Side-Along apparition, but you'd better not spli-"she admonished him, before being cut off by the feeling of apparating. She fell to the ground on top of Fred as they landed in the middle of Diagon Alley. "Fred Weasley! You could've splinched us! You could've been hurt! We could've ended up anywhere!"

"Don't worry, we're alright. No lost limbs or body parts, we're in Diagon Alley. Good marks all round, I'd say." He chuckled, stopping when he caught Hermione's angry scowl. "Come on, I promise to warn you next time, instead of interrupting you." He compromised as he went to hug her. She returned it after a few seconds of reluctance. "I need to check something out here, if you don't mind?" He asked tentatively.

"Nah, it's alright. I'll go check Flourish and Blotts'." She told him as they separated. She walked away but turned when he called her, ["Granger!"], and she blushed slightly when he winked at her. "Idiot," she thought fondly.

A half hour later, Fred found Hermione engrossed in a book about Arithmancy, and they left – but not before she bought said book and shrunk it to fit in her pocket. "Now I'm ready!" Arm in arm, they left through the Leaky Cauldron, before Fred stopped the pair of them suddenly.

"How do we get there?"

With a sly smile, she introduced him to the London Underground. "A network of tunnels is spread underneath London. The tube, what they call the trains that go through these tunnels, have the shape of a tube, and, well, you'll see..." She trailed off as they arrived at the ticket booths. "Here you buy the tickets to access the underground. Once you buy your ticket you pass it through those machines and the doors open for you to pass." They did what she said and she guided Fred towards the escalator. "The beauty about the underground is that it could take you to many parts of London; like Oxford Circus, Hammersmith, Brixton, King's Cross St. Pancras... It's usually quite crowded around rush hours: around 7:30 to 9:30 in the morning, and 4:30 to 6:30 in the afternoon – approximately, so you have to time it, but it's faster than going on the bus."

She stopped her explanation to let him take it all in. He looked so innocent in a way, as he explored something new. A large gust of warm wind blew at them as they arrived at the platform. The loud noise of the train approaching startled Fred a bit, and she grinned as they boarded and were packed between a bunch of people. So as to not get separated, they held hands, and, when they finally arrived at King's Cross – after changing once to an emptier train – they breathed in the fresh air happily.

"Here we are!" She stated unnecessarily, but cheerily. They found where they were to meet Harry and someone else – Draco Malfoy, they suspected. Right in front of it was a small cafe, so they decided to go there to wait until one.

"Wait," Fred stopped her, "it's still really early, around fifteen past nine. So we've got time to explore a bit. Want to see if we can still pass to the platform?" He smiled slyly.

Hermione stopped, "Really? It wouldn't hurt- No. We can't, what if the muggles see us or, or-"

"Live a little Granger-"

"Hermione." She interrupted him with a smile.

"What?"

"My name is Hermione." She repeated, finding his confusion funny.

"Your second name? Mine is Gideon, after my uncle." Fred informed her.

"I know." She took at step towards him, curtseying, "Frederick Gideon Weasley, my name is Hermione Ophelia Granger." She held out a hand.

Playing along, he kissed her hand, "a pleasure to meet you, Miss Granger." He thought for a second, "Ophelia, Hermione... Shakespeare?"

"My hero!" She exclaimed playfully, pretending to faint over him. He held her up to stop her falling, and she managed to stand up straight, explaining, "my mother loves Shakespeare. My dad doesn't. It isn't hard to guess who won the argument over naming me."

"Well, Mum wanted to call me Ron – so we'd be Ron and George, and then her next child would've been a girl – Ginny. Am I ever so glad Dad decided on Fred for me and gave Ron to our 'ickle Ronniekins'."

Hermione looked at him strangely, brow furrowed. "I cannot imagine you as Ron."

He snorted, "Neither can I. Platform 9 ¾; yes or no?"

She gave in and let herself be lead there by her friend, "If you insist." She shut her eyes as they leant against the wall and let themselves fall, unsure if she wanted to go through and fall or have them look like idiots to muggles.

"Holy shit, Hermione, look!"

**They went into Plat.9 ¾! Gasp. What will happen? **

**Next chapter will be the meetings between Lucius and Dumbledore, and Fred + Hermione and Draco + Harry. What will happen?**

**Neville shall feature as well – he'll be the badass we saw in DH. Luna will be as all-knowing as ever. Ron will be as clueless as ever. Err, George won't show up for another chapter or two. Sirius will be in the one after next, probably. **

**OH YEAH! Forgot about Tom Riddle! He may or may not, no idea. And the letter Draco found in the previous chapter? That will come up much later.**

**Just prepare for what I hope will be a surprising plot twist.**

**Cheerio.**


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